More of this Feature • Part 1: Paul Mann 65 • Part 2: Paul Mann 65 • Anatomy of a Mann • Paul Mann 65 Specs • Paul Mann 65 Deck Plan • Paul Mann 65 Acceleration Curve • Paul Mann 65 Photo Gallery
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The workmanship is unbelievable,” Marilyn O’Donnell says, describing her and her husband Jack’s 65. “It really handles [the seas] well,” adds Jack. As avid bluewater sportfishermen, the O’Donnells wanted a craft that would be able to slice big head seas, ride in the trough, run comfortably in a following swell, and if the ocean got real nasty, be tough as nails.

When I asked Mann how he met the request. He told me he started with 1 3/4"x4" juniper frames for the hull sides and 1 3/4"x6"(tripled) juniper frames on the hull bottom. The planking is also of juniper and measures a stout 3/4"x3 1/2". Juniper is a sturdy wood that can be easily shaped to the knifepoint bow needed for blasting through those frothy mid-Atlantic inlets. Beefing up the boat’s backbone, Mann used a 2"x6" clear-fir keel. In addition, the 2"x6" engine beds had a top layer of one-inch angled aluminum encapsulated in fiberglass to add strength and support to the big Cats. As for fiberglass, Mann says he prefers 1808 biaxial cloth for the hull sides and cabin, with 3408 cloth for the hull bottom. —P.S.

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